I'm the Greatest

 September 1, 2001 

Struting his stuff

 August 30, 2001 

Stage interaction

 August 28, 2001 

Turn Around for Photo

 

Ringo at the Greek Theater -- the teleprompter says "Turn Around for Photo" and tht makes me laugh. 

Flowers for Ringo

 June 29, 2011 -  Praug 

How Ringo ended up wearing a Sgt. Pepper suit on stage

 

A pat on the head from Ringo 

I am sure many of you have seen the video of Ringo singing "With a Little Help From My Friends" while wearing a pink Sgt. Pepper jacket.  Many people are asking -- "where did he get that?"   Well -- I found the Ringo fan who owns the jacket that Ringo is wearing and have her story straight from her on how Ringo came to wear it for this now iconic moment. 

From crawlerr on X:

BEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE! I brought a pen for Ringo to sign my coat (even though I'm sure he doesn't do autographs anymore) And nearing the end of the show, I ran up to the barricade/rope-thing and waved my pen in the air for his attention. This kind lady behind me told me I HAD to get closer to the stage, so she pushed me under the rope, and Ringo prompted me to come closer to the stage, so I jumped up and down waving my pen more, and he leaned down and said, "I'll do ya somethin betta! Hand me your coat." SO I DID

I started crying SO hard, and all I could muster to say was "RINGO I LOVE YOU!" AND HE REPLIED, "I love you, babe!" SO, NATURALLY, I SOBBED EVEN MORE. That's when he told me to stay where I was as he performed A Little Help From My Friends

After that, he noticed me absolutely bawling my eyes out, so he patted my head and told me everything's alright. SO YEAH, I CRIED EVEN MORE. I stayed after the show til they kicked me out, but SECURITY GAVE ME HIS DRUM STICKS! I'M BLESSED.

Ringo's drumsticks!

Thank you crawlerr for sharing your amazing story!  What a great "Meet the Beatles...For Real" encounter!  

Ringo back on the road with peace and love

 

Any of you have tickets to see Ringo and the All Starr Band during this next round of concerts?  

Ringo Starr Rock "Eldest Stateman" (1991)

 

Ringo Starr Rock "Eldest Stateman"

Associated Press

February 3, 1991

    Tell Ringo Starr, he's one of the elder statesmen of rock and roll. And he interrupts, "I'm probably the eldest statesman," he corrects, but he says it in that Ringo voice, instantly familiar and unchanged, although its owner is 50 years old and light years past his Beatle days.

     "Rock and roll keeps you young, if it doesn't kill you, of course," he explains. 

    Starr has just released Ringo Starr and his All-Star band, a compact disc recorded in concert during his 1989 tour with eight veteran rockers, and he's already thinking about the lineup for another all-star troop.

     It's a different Ringo than the one who was better known over much of the past decade for drinking than drumming. And the enthusiasm has as much to do with last year's tour as his 1988 stint in an alcoholic recovery program.

     "It was great proof to me that I could actually get up there and play," he said. "And it was great proof that all these musicians that I've known all over the years, you know, still thought they'd like to play with me."

     The All Starrs of 1989 were guitarists Nils Lofgren and Joe Walsh, keyboard players Dr. John and Billy Preston, sax man Clarence Clemens, drummers Jim Keltner and Levon Helm, and bass player Rick Danko. Starr admits to wondering whether he could get on stage with musicians of that caliber again, and whether they would want to get up there with him. 

    "Most of the 80s, I was incommunicado with the planet. And, you know, I wouldn't blame them, you know, because why would they want to get up with this crazy, drunken fool? And I didn't want to get up anyway. I was too busy getting stupid."

     Starr and his wife, actress Barbara Bach, spent five weeks in an alcohol treatment program in 1988, and after that, he had to ask himself what he was going to do with his life. The All-Starr band was the answer. "I'm a musician. And we went out there, and we put it together, and it was just a great mind blower that it certainly worked, and we all had fun," he said.

     The Rykodisc CD has a dozen songs, but only five featuring Starr: "It Don't Come Easy," "The No, , "No Song," "Honey Don't," "You're 16", and "Photograph." The others were "Iko Iko" by Dr John, "The Wait" with Helm on vocals, "Shine Silently," sung by Lofgren, " Quarter to Three", featuring Clemens, " Reigning in My Heart" with Danko at the microphone, "Will It Go Round in Circles " by Preston, and " Life in the Fast Lane", featuring Walsh. 

    Starr is intent on getting beyond his Beatles past. "Someone already said, Well, you don't have 'With a Little Help from My Friends,' or 'Yellow Submarine'. Well, you know, that's not the point here. The point is the band that was on tour; this is what we felt would make the best CD."

     Starr doesn't know yet who will be in the next All Starr band, because some of last year's members will most certainly have another commitment, but Starr is certain to have an audience, regardless of the compliment. The 1989 tour drew fans ranging from children on up to adults as old as 70. 

    "Children under seven were let in free with their parents to make the problem of finding babysitters no impediment," he said.

     A lot of the kids were more familiar with Starr as the tiny Mr. Conductor on the PBS television show Shining Time Station. The children's show includes a storybook segment from Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, an English show Starr, narrated.

30 Years since I first saw Ringo

 July 2, 1995 

It was 30 years ago today that I took a free bus from Alton, Illinois and crossed the Mississippi River for a free concert by Ringo Starr and the All Starr Band.  He was performing at a stage set up between the legs of the St. Louis arch as part of the V.P. Fair. It was my first time ever seeing a Beatle in person.  I got one of the worse sunburns of my life but I also had an unforgettable experience.   

Not on my bingo card for 2025...

 

I wasn't expecting to hear that John Travolta joined Ringo Starr and the All Starr Band on stage to sing "With a Little Help From My Friends" in Florida recently.   

The All Stars in Westbury, New York

 

May 16, 2000 - Westbury, New York 

All in the bag

 

All Starr Ringo

 August 15, 1989 -  Ringo's first tour with the All Starr Band was a success as seen in these photos from Massachusetts.

Ringo became an All Starr

 

July 29, 1989 

Bikers Against Drunk Driving

Ringo is pictured here with Danny Perkins, the founder of Bikers Against Drunk Driving (assuming the little boy is his child).   (Pictures were found on the site formerly known as Twitter shared by a great Ringo fan, Starr Scruff.  )

Determined this photo was taken in 1989 because of the length of Ringo's hair, he is wearing a 1989 All Starr Band tour t-shirt the kid has the 1989 pink backstage pass stuck on him and the 1989 All Starr tour was sponsored by Diet Pepsi. 

Ringo Peace in California

 March 5, 1999

What's my name?

 February 28, 1998

Double peace from Ringo

 

February 16, 1999 

The party's over (for now)

 

Now that Ringo's All Starr Tour 2023 is over and Paul's Got Back tour has begun, I hope everyone that has seen or is seeing a Beatle in concert in 2023 has enjoyed every song and every moment.   Enjoy the fact that it is 2023 and both Ringo and Paul are performing.    

Ringo Starr and the All Star Band's Fall 2023 Tour : A Review

Photos taken by Sara Schmidt 

I had the wonderful privilege of seeing Ringo Starr and the All Starr Band this past Saturday night at the Fabulous Fox Theater in St. Louis, Missouri.   Ringo puts on a really fun show and it is well worth going to see him and the All Starr Band perform. 

Ringo has a lot of energy and his bandmates are right there with him.   The entire band plays their hit songs with a few little Beatle song snippets thrown in here and there.   Playing with Ringo this time around is Edgar Winter, who does a great version of his hit song, "Free Ride."   Also on the tour are Men at Work's Colin Hay, Steve Lukathur from Toto and Hamish Stewart (who you might remember from Paul's 1993 tour and the Off the Ground album).    And I can't forget Gregg Bissonette, who is such a fun drummer to watch. 

But the real "starr" of the show is of course our man, Ringo!   As with all All Starr concerts, he alternates between singing out front, singing at the drums, and playing drums with the band.  There is about two (very long) songs where he leaves to "drink juice."    And just like the other times I have seen Ringo, I was mesmerized by watching him play the drums.   I always want to enjoy the music the others are playing, but I just can't keep my eyes off Ringo.   The absolute highlight for me was "Octopus' Garden."  I know he has been playing it for about a year or so now, but it was my first time ever hearing him perform this classic song from Abbey Road and it was great!   I also especially loved hearing Ringo perform "I'm the Greatest" and mention that John wrote it for him.   

You hear a lot of talk about Paul's voice and sadly Ringo's voice is also not able to hit all of the notes the way he used to.  He sort of "talk sings" through some of the more difficult parts (especially in that song I enjoyed, I'm the Greatest), but he is undoubtedly Ringo and he is still promoting peace and love.

If you aren't someone who goes to Ringo concerts because you have already seen him.   Why not change that decision for this tour?    His show is a really fun night out and I am sure you won't regret seeing one of The Beatles live and in person.   Have fun out there!